1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to racks and carrying devices for sports equipment and more particularly to portable folding racks for storing and transporting water skis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Water skiing has become one of the most popular participant sports in the United States. In response to the increasing demand for equipment, new styles and models of boats and skis are constantly developed. It is not uncommon for enthusiasts of the sport to spend tens of thousands of dollars on specially designed water ski boats and hundreds of dollars each on many pairs of specially designed water skis. Most water ski boats are used on week-end and vacations and are frequently removed from the water and transported on trailers.
Most water ski boats have no provisions for storing the skis. Therefore, the skis are merely loosely placed in the boat where they are in the way and subject to damage when not in use. When the boat is unattended or being transported by trailer the skis must be individually removed and stored someplace else. Frequently this means loosely placed in the back of a pick-up truck where they are again in the way and subject to damage.
The instant invention provides a portable rack in which the water skis may be securely stored and transported without damage to the skis. On most boats this rack fits over the engine where the skis are readily accessible and out of the way. When it is desirable to remove the skis from the boat, the entire rackful of skis can be lifted and carried to the beach where it may be placed in a truck or anywhere desired. During the transportation and storage the skis are securely retained in the rack.
No known prior art exists performing all these functions. There are some fixed installation racks for storing skis on boats or in trucks. These are usually custom made. There are custom shipping and storage containers for individual skis or pairs of skis, but these do not provide ready accessibility to the skis and are not themselves suited to intermittent mounting on boats.